The coastal territory that was once filled with olive trees, orchards and beautiful sandy beaches, is now a dystopian abyss of military bases, mass graveyards, and ruins. “In northern Gaza, two-thirds of the land was agricultural – now there’s nothing left,” says Samar Safiya, a Gazan environmental activist.

As global leaders gather at yet another COP summit this month, the stage is set for grand declarations on climate targets, net-zero ambitions, and pledges to ‘save the planet.’ COP—the Conference of the Parties—is an annual assembly where nations discuss strategies to control global warming, address carbon emissions, and tackle environmental destruction. The rhetoric often centres on holding wealthy nations accountable for their disproportionate share of climate damage, as these industrialised, imperial powers have historically contributed the most to global emissions. Yet, there remains a glaring omission in these conversations: the role of ongoing colonisation, military aggression, and the ecocidal impact of war. 

Recent research from the UK and US shows that the carbon emissions generated during just the first two months of Israel’s assault on Gaza exceeded the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. In the first 60 days alone, Israel’s military attack produced emissions equivalent to burning 150,000 tonnes of coal. This stark reality is absent from the COP agenda, making the entire conference disingenuous.

Criticising the Global North for its emissions, but turning a blind eye to how colonial legacies persist in the form of military occupation, land grabs, and the violent suppression of people, overlooks the ongoing environmental and humanitarian consequences of these systems of power.

The environment cannot escape damage from wars around the world that cause significant pollution and destroy wildlife habitats and ecosystems, with consequences that last for generations. War persists as one of the greatest threats to climate change, sustainability and the very survival of humanity. While Palestine and surrounding regions have faced an environmental catastrophe through manufactured consent, Israel and its Western allies have continued to participate in global climate justice summits like COP29. Israel has long positioned itself as a leader in technological innovations for water conservation and clean energy, yet it systematically destroys Gaza’s water infrastructure and poisons its land, offering a masterclass in greenwashing, a practice that involves pretending to be environmentally friendly to deflect attention from criminal activity.

Ecocide of Gaza

For decades now, Israel has subjected the Gaza Strip to a blockade that not only restricts their freedom of movement but also limits access to essential resources, including fuel, water, and construction materials. This siege, combined with repeated violent attacks, has crippled Gaza’s infrastructure, making it one of the most environmentally vulnerable places in the world. Gaza’s inhabitants face a dual threat: genocide as well as ecocide. It is important to remember that this is not just a localised issue but a violation of international environmental and humanitarian laws. Deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sanitation services, has a devastating human cost to it.

Depriving an entire population of food and water not only leads to hunger and dehydration, it also causes an outbreak of diseases. Mothers are unable to breastfeed, while children succumb to malnourishment and starvation. The cruelty of Israel is beyond horrific, as it continues to commit war crimes, directly violating Geneva Conventions.

Since the start of its large-scale war on October 7th, Israel has dropped over 25,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, equivalent to two nuclear bombs. This far exceeds the combined weight of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which totalled about 15,000 tons of explosives. The destruction has not only taken a severe toll on human lives but also on Gaza’s already fragile ecosystem. The UN reported that as of August, Israel’s brutal bombardment has created more than 42 million tons of debris. This astonishing figure is 14 times greater than the combined total from all conflicts over the past 16 years. To put it in perspective, this amount of rubble is enough to fill 19,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. A year into the war, the figure is still growing, leaving behind shattered buildings, polluted air, and toxic remnants that pose long-term health risks for Gaza’s population.

The war on Gaza is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is an environmental catastrophe—demonstrating the ongoing story of how imperial powers leverage violence, both human and ecological, to maintain control. The devastating impact on Gaza’s air, soil, and water systems is a continuation of the colonial project, prioritising domination over human and environmental health. 

Energy Crisis

Soon after October 7th 2023, Israeli Minister Yoav Gallant announced that supplies of water, electricity and food to Gaza would be cut completely, referring to the Palestinians in the strip as “human animals”. The IOF has relentlessly targeted Gaza’s power plant, as well as alternative energy sources like solar panels, plunging it into complete darkness. 

The electricity issue in Gaza is nothing new or recent. Israel has long weaponised electricity in its blockade, suffocating the population and intensifying their suffering. For example, in Israel’s 2014 war on Gaza, Israel needlessly shelled Gaza’s only power plant, igniting two million litres of diesel fuel for no reason, severely polluting the air. In addition to cutting off electricity and blocking alternative energy supplies, Israel has also prevented fuel deliveries needed to run hospital generators, which are crucial for medical care across Gaza. In several cases, hospitals themselves have been targeted by airstrikes. Hundreds of medical personnel have been killed. In the age of globalisation and the digital revolution, Gaza still has no electricity at the hands of its occupier.

Water Crisis

According to a 2021 report by the United Nations, 97% of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption due to contamination from seawater intrusion and untreated sewage caused by Israel’s control and blockade of water. Amidst many of its war crimes, Israel has also deliberately targeted desalination plants and groundwater wells, reducing access to clean water, and forcing people to rely on unsafe water sources. This situation has only worsened in the past year due to targeted bombings of water infrastructure. Bombing of wastewater treatment plants has resulted in untreated sewage being discharged directly into the sea, causing outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

The long-term implications of water contamination are devastating. Polluted water harms agriculture, making it impossible for farmers to cultivate crops. As crops fail and humanitarian aid is constantly blocked, food insecurity worsens. Even if people escape the bombing, they will still be caught in the vicious cycle of famine, starvation, and dehydration.

Soil Degradation and Food Scarcity

Apart from water systems, Israel has also deliberately targeted Gaza’s agricultural land through aerial spraying of herbicides contributing to soil degradation and the collapse of local farming. Since 2008, the systematic targeting of agricultural lands in Gaza has rendered up to 35% of its arable land inaccessible. The soil is often so contaminated that crops are unable to grow, and those that do are often unsafe for consumption due to chemical residues. This toxic cycle continues to destroy Gaza’s food supply, making Gazans highly dependent on food aid and decreasing local food sovereignty, all while disrupting ecosystems that took centuries to cultivate. Satellite imagery shows that Israel has destroyed 70% of the strip’s agricultural land and tree cover in the year since the war broke out.

In the West Bank, Israel has uprooted hundreds of thousands of trees, including olive, citrus, date, almond, and banana. Israeli settlers often attack Palestinian farms and farmers, burn or bulldoze their trees, and are protected by the Israeli army.

The difference between the coloniser and the colonised is clear to see, as the coloniser will always destroy the land while the Indigenous population will always try to preserve it.

Air Pollution

Continuous bombings with impunity on a strip of land that is just 360 square kilometres have also caused long-term air pollution which is one of the most insidious consequences caused by the occupying state force. The large quantities of toxic particulates released into the air lead to respiratory problems among Gaza’s residents, particularly in children and the elderly. Additionally, the use of illegal weapons such as white phosphorus has further caused devastating effects on both human health and the environment. White phosphorus burns through tissue upon contact and can leave long-lasting pollution in the air and soil.

Greenwashing of Colonialism

It is not surprising that Western governments praise Israel’s climate efforts, making them equally complicit in this greenwashing. For decades, the US and its allies have rained down missiles and drones on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen, demonstrating a consistent disregard for human and environmental costs for the Global South. The environmental impacts of imperial nations can be seen to this day all around the world, from India to Nigeria, from Yemen to the DRC.

Between 2004 and 2016, drone strikes in Pakistan alone caused over 400 civilian deaths and contributed to environmental degradation through the destruction of infrastructure and land. In Syria, U.S. military actions have displaced over 13 million people. The U.S. invasion of Iraq has actively led to severe desertification, leaving 39% of the country’s agricultural land degraded and unproductive.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed over 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides over forests and farmland. Decades later, the land remains poisoned, and nearly 4.8 million people have suffered from severe health problems, including cancer and birth defects due to dioxin contamination in soil and water. 

In 2017, the U.S. dropped the GBU-43/B “mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan, devastating the village of Asad Khel. Residents reported severe health issues like respiratory and skin diseases, and the land became infertile, reducing crop yields by over half. This airstrike is part of a broader toxic legacy from the U.S. war that will affect Afghan communities for generations.

France conducted 17 nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966, after Algeria had gained independence, causing lasting radiation contamination. Decades later, cancer rates and congenital disabilities among local communities are elevated, while the land is deemed unsafe for human life in some areas.

As the world faces escalating climate disasters, the hypocrisy of Israeli and Western governments in championing environmental justice, while constantly manufacturing and selling weapons of war and supporting military occupation cannot be ignored.

Israel has one of the biggest per capita ecological footprints and carbon footprints in the world, ranking in the top 10% and 20% respectively making it a major contributor to climate change. It simply cannot be environmentally friendly while being a colonial and apartheid state. Israel’s actions in Palestine follow the same imperialist playbook of ecocide. By allowing Israel to participate in these summits without holding it accountable for the environmental destruction it causes, the destruction and theft of Palestinian land and resources continue.

The Environmental Impacts on the Broader Region

It’s deeply alarming, though unsurprising, that Israel’s military aggression has spread beyond Palestine, now targeting Lebanon, Syria, and other regions. This unchecked violence not only continues Israel’s decades-long campaign of dispossession and ethnic cleansing but expands its terror across the region. The immediate devastation—destroyed buildings, scorched earth, and polluted waterways—signals the beginning of an environmental disaster. Studies show that the use of explosives contaminates the air, soil, and water, leading to a rise in toxic pollutants that can persist for years. The Gaza Strip was already declared unlivable by the UN in 2018, due to blockade, destruction of infrastructure and contamination of its water supply. Now as Israel expands its aggression, Lebanon and Syria face a similar fate of ecological destruction.

Israel’s aggressive expansion into neighbouring countries isn’t only a political strategy, it’s an assault on the environmental sovereignty of these regions, further deepening the ecological apartheid that denies Palestinians and their neighbours the right to live in a safe and healthy environment.

The destruction of its ecosystem contributes to regional instability and shows the dangerous intersection of war and environmental degradation. War may end, but the multi-fold damage it leaves behind lingers for generations.

In an era where the world is facing alarming levels of climate change, Israel’s military rampage highlights the link between war and ecological degradation.

As bombs fall, the hope for a sustainable future in one of the most fertile and historically rich regions on Earth falls with them. The silence of the international community on this matter isn’t just a political failure, it’s an endorsement of ecocide. The irony is hard to ignore, especially during COP29, where world leaders discuss climate action, yet the destruction in Gaza and beyond continues unchecked. November 6th, marked by the UN as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War, reminds us of this hypocrisy. 

While global talks on climate justice happen, the question remains: who is being held accountable, and who is conveniently left out of the conversation? How can talks of reparations be genuine when the imperial powers actively displace indigenous communities? Why are the environmental costs of war never part of the climate equation, and why are the cries of the colonised never heard in these hollow halls of climate justice? They may choose to ignore these voices, but we see their selective attention and hear their deafening silence loud and clear.